Help your child with hearing loss

For families choosing a listening and spoken language (LSL) outcome for their child, hearing technology should be chosen and fit as soon as possible after a hearing loss diagnosis has been made.

What you can do to help your child?

Beyond the technology, it is important to remember that besides having your child fit with the right hearing aids, there are some simple things you can do every day to give your child the best possible chance at successful learning, literacy and socialization:

Keep the hearing aids on – Children with well-fit, consistently worn hearing aids (worn at least 10 hours per day) have better speech and language outcomes.1

Provide more conversations – Children who hear more spoken language in the critical early years are more prepared for school and language demands as they grow.2 Expose your child to as many words as possible by offering a language-rich environment wherever possible (singing, talking, reading stories, learning nursery rhymes, listening to music).

Read aloud – Humans are designed to listen and talk, however reading is not instinctive. For this reason, reading aloud to your child is critical. Storybooks contribute significantly to a child’s vocabulary and children who are told stories have been shown to learn more than twice as many new words. Reading also allows children with hearing loss to learn new ideas and concepts and to build conversation skills.

Listen to music together – All babies, including those with a hearing loss, are naturally drawn to music. Music assists with early listening skills and developing the hearing centers in the brain responsible for language and learning. Engaging in music activities early and consistently can help improve your child’s ability to listen in noise.

Who can help your child?

Experienced and qualified hearing healthcare professionals are there to offer you and your family support and guidance. You are likely to meet a range of experts throughout your journey, including the following:

Audiologist – A healthcare professional who is trained in the science of hearing. An audiologist provides services related to prevention, assessment and treatment of hearing loss.

ENT (Ear Nose Throat) physician – A doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions of the ear, nose, and throat.

Speech-language pathologist – A healthcare professional who is trained to provide services related to prevention, assessment, and treatment of speech and language disorders.

Hearing instrument dispenser – A healthcare professional who is trained in the practice of selecting and fitting hearing instruments

Listening is now a lot more fun

The Listening Room™ is a host of free, fun activities and resources to support and stimulate the development of speech language and listening skills in children of all ages, whatever their degree of hearing loss.